The Specter at Hashimoto manor
by rhapsodizing riyoko
Summary: IT'S COMPLETE!There's a new member of Class Q, a girl named Shizuko. At the same time, they get a strange new case.A specter is causing mischief in a creepy house.(this is my first fanfic! yay me)
1. The New Girl

**The Specter of Hashimoto Manor**

**By Rhapsodizing Riyoko  
****Summary:** There's a new member of Class Q, a girl named Shizuko. At the same time, they get a strange new case. A specter is causing mischief in an old creepy house. Strange inventors, mysterious accidents, and missing heirlooms add to its baffling nature.  
Can class Q solve this case, with a new girl by their side? There's only ONE answer!

**DISCLAIMER:I do not own Detective School Q.I only own Shizuko and the plot, i guess.

* * *

**

**Chapter 1: The New Girl**

"What? A new student?" burst out Kyu in disbelief.

Meg nodded vigorously. "Not only that, but…" she trailed off.

"But what?" asked Kazuma.

"She qualified for Class Q!"

"She?" asked Ryuu, mildly surprised.

"She!" cried Kyu.

"A girl?" said Kinta.

"Do you have a problem with that?" a voice asked, sounding amused.

All 5 of them turned around in shock." Principal Dan!"

Principal Dan Morihiko wheeled into the room, aided by Ms. Katagiri, who pushed him in his wheelchair.

"Well, it seems that the news has reached you, then. Class Q, please welcome your new classmate."

A girl, wearing dark gray slacks and a black sleeveless shirt, entered the room. The dark eyes behind her silver-rimmed glasses scrutinized everyone in the room before coming to rest on Ryuu.

Kyu smiled to himself. _She's going to blush…_

Surprisingly, she didn't. She merely considered him for a moment before returning her gaze to Principal Dan.

"I'll leave you to get acquainted with them. Your teacher, Mr. Hongou, will be here shortly," he said.

"Good-bye," said Ms. Katagiri, pushing Mr. Dan's wheelchair carefully out of the room.

Kyu, socializing as usual, was first to extend his hand to the new girl. "Hi, my name's Kyu, by the way. Welcome to class Q."

She shook his hand. "I'm Shizuko. Nice to meet you."

Meg smiled at her. "I'm Megumi Minami. But everyone calls me Meg."

"Kazuma Narusawa," said Kazuma, by way of introduction.

"I'm Kintarou Tooyama. But I prefer to be called 'Mr. Kinta',"said Kinta, striking a macho pose.

Everyone laughed at that."Just call him 'Kinta', okay?" said Meg.

Shizuko smiled at them, then turned to Ryuu."And you are—? "

"Ryuu. Ryuu Amakusa."

"Nice to meet you, Ryuu."

"So, getting acquainted, now, are we?" a deep voice boomed from the doorway.

Mr. Hongou entered the classroom in his usual bad-tempered manner. His long dark coat billowed out behind him as he made his way to the new girl.

"I imagine you're the new student. Your name?" he asked irritably.

"Shizuko, sir. You must be Mr. Hongou."

Hongou gave her one of his angry stares. "Listen, little missy, even though you're new here, don't expect me to be responsible for you. You're here on your own."

"I understand that, sir,"she replied. "and I assure you, I can handle anything," she continued, returning his angry stare with her steely eyes.

"Good. Now, take your seats, everyone, and turn your books to the section on bullets."

* * *

Later that day, Class Q was on their way to the martial arts room in the new school building, where they would be sparring with Class A. 

They all had their gis(white karate uniforms) on, and they bwere ready to fight. They had been assigned partners. Meg was paired with Yuki, Kyu with Gouda, Kinta with Sabouramarou (eurgh), Kazuma with Hayato, and Ryuu with Shishido. Shizuko had been paired with Kuniko, a shy-looking girl.Meg whispered, "Watch out for her. Kuniko may look shy, but she's an aikido expert."

"Don't worry," Shizuko hissed back. "I know a few tricks of my own."

"_Hajime!"_ someone yelled from a corner of the room.(I think that word means "begin" or start".)

Everyone began fighting. Within a few minutes, Kinta had Sabouramarou in a headlock, Ryuu had flipped Shishido on his back, and Meg was about to be pummeled by Yuki.

However, Shizuko and Kuniko's fight was quickly heating up. Shizuko launched a powerful side kick, but Kuniko blocked it and swiftly followed it with a neck chop. Using a blocking technique, Shizuko avoided getting hit, then sank gracefully to the floor, sweeping Kuniko's ankle. Kuniko was knocked off her feet, and she fell to the floor.

Nearly everyone had stopped beating each other up to watch the match, and Class Q erupted in cheers when Shizuko emerged victorious.

Class A, however, began whispering among themselves.

"Where'd she come from?"  
"She qualified for Class Q?"

"Who is she?"

Those questions remained unanswered for the moment as everyone trooped off the showers.

In the boy's showers, Shizuko's name got dragged into the conversation.

"Hey, Ryuu, did you know what kind of technique Shizuko was using?I didn't recognize it," said Kyu.

"I'm not sure, either, but I think it was Kung fu," Ryuu replied. "It's a Chinese Martial art. It boasts of close sparring, that involves complex blocking techniques and defense moves," he continued knowledgeably.

"Kung fu, eh?" Kyu said, lost in thought.

"Yeah. It was once called _Wu shu_, and it was more of a military art back then. Shaolin monks taught it, mostly."

"Hmm…" Kyu's mind was wandering again.

Meanwhile, in the girl's showers…

"Wow! That was great, Shizuko!" Meg exclaimed. "You really knocked Kuniko off her feet!"

"Speaking of which, I'm SORRY, Kuniko! Are you sure you're okay?" asked Shizuko, worried.

"Don't worry about it, okay? I'm still in one piece," replied Kuniko.

"Well, that's good," sighed Shizuko in relief.

"Where did you learn those moves?" asked Yuki.

"Oh, I took Kung fu for a few years. Nothing special."

Shizuko ducked into a bathroom stall to put on her clothes.

* * *

After their showers, Class Q went for a walk around the DDS grounds. They were giving Shizuko a tour of the school. Shizuko carefully studied the different areas, familiarizing herself. She sighed. 

"What is it?" asked Kyu, hearing her.

"Hm? Oh, nothing, it's just that…" Shizuko began, "Well, DDS is kind of like a dream come true for me."

"Really? How?" asked Meg.

"Well, for the first time, I feel like I really belong here. I've been to a lot of different schools, you see, and each time…well…" she trailed off.

"You didn't really fit in?" prompted Kyu.

"Sort of. I didn't have any friends. There was just this one girl who I carpooled with. I would hang out with her and her clique sometimes, but I always had the feeling that they hated me."

"Did you actually prove it?" asked Ryuu quietly.

"I…I did. I borrowed a notebook from her once, and I discovered something."

"What?" asked Kazuma.

"She had some sort of list there: a list of things they had in common. They liked the same boy band, the same color, even the same subject. And they also shared one more thing. They all HATED me."

Shizuko fell silent. Everyone else looked at one another with pity.

"I spent the rest of my school days alone after that," she continued. "Since then, I've had a growing suspicion of everyone around me. I kept wondering whether people liked me or not, or whether they were just using me. It's kind of hard not to harbor that kind of mentality. I…"

Shizuko broke off.

"It's become harder for you to trust anyone," Kyu finished.

Shizuko nodded, her short dark hair lifted by a powerful breeze that was passing by.

Meg suddenly cried out. Her short skirt had been blown upward, exposing her(yup, you guessed it) underwear for everyone to see. Ryuu, of course, looked away out of respect, but Kyu, Kinta and Kazuma stared as Meg squealed, trying to cover up.(yes, those three can be such idiots.)

"Yellow with polka dots! Hey, that's new—OW!"

Kyu yelled in pain as Meg began hitting him with her school bag, screaming, "You jerk! How dare you!"

* * *

**rants:** yeah, i know, this first chapter is crappy. i do hope it'll get better though...and i just couldn't resist doing one of those underwear scenes...hehehe...and also, i wasn't sure if the two classes were really supposed to fight with each other. but it turned out okay, right? **PLEASE REVIEW!  
chapter 2:the investigation begins!  
**watch out for it...they'll be getting a new case! 


	2. The Investigation Begins!

**disclaimer: I do not own Detective School Q. I own only Shizuko and a few characters. and the plot, i guess.**

**Chapter 2: The Investigation Begins**

The next day proved to be dark and rainy for DDS. Kyu burst through the classroom door of the old school building, dripping wet.

"Aw, man! I'm soaked!"

Kyu looked at the rest of his classmates. They too bore signs of having gotten caught in the rain. Meg was trying to wring out water from her clothes and hair. Kinta was hanging up his wet jacket to dry, and Kazuma was squeezing rainwater out of his "lucky" hat.

Only Ryuu remained fairly dry, although his blue-tinted hair had specks of rainwater among the strands, and the bottom of his slacks seemed to have been doused with water from puddles.

Shizuko walked through the classroom door, wearing a trench coat. She looked like she had stepped right out of an old detective movie—or right out of Mr. Hongou's closet.

Kazuma laughed. "Nice outfit!"

Kyu had to laugh too. "Hey, Shizuko, you really look the part! But Halloween's over, you know."

"At least I'm dry," replied Shizuko. "You, on the other hand…" She let the sentence hang in the air.

Kyu looked down at his dripping shirt and pants. Shizuko raised an eyebrow as she took off the trench coat to reveal a perfectly dry pair of jeans, leather boots, and a white button-down shirt.

"Well, you have a point…" Kyu trailed off.

Meg and Kinta laughed.

"Class Q!"

Everyone jumped at the sound of Mr. Hongou's voice.

"Mr. Hongou!"

"Make yourselves presentable. Principal Dan wants to see you," Mr. Hongou barked.

"Oh, it's all right, Hongou. Don't fuss."

Principal Dan rolled his wheelchair into the classroom.

"Good morning Class Q. I received a phone call today from a gentleman about a series of mysterious events that have occurred at his home. Everything happens in his library. Every morning when he comes in, there are signs of it having been disturbed or even put completely out of order. But the door to this room has a very good lock on it, and there are no signs of forced entry."

"I feel that there is more to this case. Class Q, I want you to investigate this strange happening and put the man's fears at ease. He's afraid that a ghost is doing all this."

"Mr. Dan?" asked Shizuko timidly.

"Yes, Shizuko?"

"Am I to be included in this investigation?"

"Of course you are. Feel free to help your classmates in any way you can. This is your first case, am I right?"

Shizuko ducked her head shyly. "Yes, sir."

"Then this will be your chance to prove yourself. Make Class Q proud, and DDS as well."

"I'll do my best."

"Very good. By the way, the gentleman's name is Mr. Hashimoto. His house stands on a cliff overlooking the sea. Be prepared to stay for a few days, there is a nearby inn close to the sea. That's where you can stay."

"Yes, sir!" chorused Class Q.

* * *

"I'm starting to have second thoughts about accepting this case," gulped Kyu. The others nodded in unison. 

They were standing in front of Mr. Hashimoto's house, situated on a small cliff, the back of the house facing the sea. It looked slightly forbidding. It was quite an old-fashioned house, with an strange aura surrounding it. With the afternoon sun setting, it looked creepier that ever.

A dragon-headed knocker made of brass was right in front of them. They all looked at one another, unsure of what to do.

"We should knock," Ryuu suggested.

"Kyu, you knock," said Meg nervously.

"M-me? But Ryuu should do it, he suggested!" Kyu protested.

"Don't be such a baby, Kyu," said Kinta, whacking Kyu on the head.

"If you're not scared, then you do it," said Kazuma

"I'll do it," said Shizuko, getting impatient with all the delay.

She reached for the knocker. The dragon's red eyes seemed to glow threateningly. When her hand was inches away, she hesitated for a few seconds. Then she lifted the knocker and let it fall once...twice…three times.

_Thud. Thud. Thud._

The sound echoed through the house. Class Q waited with bated breath.

Silence.

"Well, looks like no one's home. Just an old knocker, how boring," said Kinta offhandedly.

"Maybe we should go back to the inn," said Kazuma.

_Eeeee. _

The door opened a little. At first everyone was scared, but then, a kind-looking face peered through the crack."Yes?" the man asked in a friendly tone.

"Oh! Uhm, hello, sir! We're from DDS," Kyu said, flustered.

The man pulled the door open all the way. "You must be the detectives. Come in," he said. "and don't look so scared. The house may look a little forbidding, but it's actually quite nice here." He held the door open, beckoning them in.

Hesitantly, Kyu stepped over the threshold. Everyone else followed suit.

The gentleman closed the door. "My name is Mr. Hashimoto. I called DDS because I had nowhere else to turn. The police are pretty baffled over my case."

He motioned them into the sitting room. "Please, sit."

Kyu, Meg and Shizuko sat on the couch, while Ryuu placed himself on one of the couch's armrests. Kinta and Kazuma each sat on one of the tapestried armchairs, while Mr. Hashimoto pulled up a chair next to the coffee table. A tea tray was sitting on the table. "I had the maid make us some tea. Why don't you have some?" he said, pouring the tea as he spoke.

When everyone had settled down a bit, Mr. Hashimoto began his story.

"This all started a few weeks ago. I've only lived here for a little while, and since I got used to the monotony of this place, it really surprised me to see the library being disturbed. I do occasionally take books out of their shelves, but I return them. One morning I noticed that several books had been taken from the shelves and scattered on the floor rather hastily. I asked the maid about it, naturally, but she had no idea what I was talking about."

"This has happened several times, now,and I'm starting to get a bit uneasy about all this. I lock the door and shut all the windows tight in that room. Only Yuriko and I have the key to the library. I trust her, and she has sworn to me that she has had nothing to do with these odd happenings. She has even said that maybe a ghost is doing all these things, because he doesn't seem to need to go through the door, he passes right through the walls!"

Mr. Hashimoto got up wearily from his chair, and walked over to the mantel over the fireplace. He leaned his head on it despairingly. "I have a feeling that there is something in this house that I don't know about," he said, as the rays of the early rising moon, streaming in from the open window, played across his face.

* * *

"The way he talks about it," Kyu began, "It's like he's willing to believe that a ghost is doing it just so there's an explanation." 

Class Q was now at the Nogisaka inn and they were talking animatedly about the mystery as they were waiting to be led to their rooms.

"Well, we haven't seen the library yet, you know. Let's wait until we see it before we draw any conclusions," said Meg.

Ryuu was staring into space as usual with his brow furrowed. He was thinking really hard.

"I have an idea," said Shizuko. "Kazuma, can you find some information for me?"

"Sure, what do you need?" replied Kazuma, opening the laptop he carried everywhere with him.

"Well, Mr. Hashimoto said that he'd only been living there for a while, right? Well, I have a feeling that this case I linked to the former owner of that house. Can you find out who lived there before he did and when that person died?" said Shizuko.

Kazuma began typing furiously on his computer.

"Hold on a second, how do you know that the former owner is dead?" asked Kyu, surprised.

"Simple.If someone was snooping around, then it must be something that involves the former owner, since Mr. Hashimoto doesn't know about it, or so he says. And if I were to poke around a creepy house like that, I'd obviously have to wait until the owner was dead so I could do stuff without arousing suspicion. "

"But then again, I'm assuming that the owner was an old man, or somewhat old, anyway. I think an old man used to live there, based on the design of the house. And aside from that, the burglar knows a lot about the house, so I'm betting Mr. Hashimoto didn't notice the comings and goings until the burglar started getting desperate."

The rest of them looked blankly at her, as though she'd just spoken an alien language.

"What?" she asked, with an oh-you-didn't-think-that-was-obvious look on her face.

"Excuse me, your rooms are ready," interrupted a young lady in a kimono.

"Is there a room for each of us, then?" asked Kyu.

"Actually, we're pretty booked tonight. We only have three rooms left."

"WHAT!" cried Kinta.

"But we managed to put two beds in each room, so I think you'll be able to stay. "

"But…but…" Meg trailed off, speechless.

"I'll leave the rest to you. Here are the keys." Dropping the keys into Kyu's hand, the young woman left, her kimono flowing behind her.

* * *

"Now what?" Kazuma asked, irritated. 

The three keys were on the table, bearing the numbers 7, 8, and 9.

"All right then, so everything's fair, it'll be a raffle," Ryuu said.

He tore a sheet of notebook paper into six. He wrote the numbers on the slips, so that two bore the number 7, two bore the number 8, and two bore the number 9. Then he folded the slips of paper and dropped them into an empty cup that was standing nearby. Then he shook the cup, to jumble up the pieces of paper.

"Right. The number you pick will be the room you're staying in, then, and whoever has the same number as you, will be your room mate. We draw the slips together," Ryuu said.

"One…"

Everyone reached for the cup.

"Two..."

"Three."

Everyone looked at each other for a second. Then they laid down their numbers on the table.

Kinta and Kazuma had drawn the number 8.

Meg and Kyu had gotten the number 9. (I couldn't resist putting them together in one room.hehehe.)

And (obviously) Ryuu and Shizuko had bagged room number 7.

Kyu, Ryuu and Kinta picked up their room keys from the table.

"So, we'll meet again tomorrow morning to go to Mr. Hashimoto's house, okay?" said Kyu.

"Just a second,"Kazuma interrupted. "Shizuko, I have that information you wanted. The former owner? You were right, he was an old man." He turned his laptop to face them.

An image of a creepy-looking old guy leered out at them. His graying hair, matted and unkempt, hung around his thin, wrinkled face. His mouth was a narrow, stern line, and he had a gash across one cheek. But his eyes were the most terrifying feature—two light green eyes that seemed unnatural, that brimmed with evil that was unspeakable. They threatened to drain the very life out of anyone who dared to look at them. "His name was Mr. Fukujima." Kazuma continued.

Kyu swallowed a lump in his throat. "He sure was a scary-looking guy."

"Well, he was an inventor who specialized in all sorts of booby traps. He would sometimes rig them inhis home, and once, one of the traps that he set up scared a burglar so badly that he ran off into the nearby woods and wouldn't come out until hours later," Kazuma explained.

"Nice guy," Shizuko said sarcastically.

"Apparently, that house used to be full of his work and all sorts of weird things. He had some weird hobbies, like an entomology collection—"

"Entomology?" asked Kinta.

"An insect collection," said Ryuu, Kazuma and Shizuko at the same time.

"Oh," said Kinta.

"Yeah, and he was a taxidermist as well," continued Kazuma.

"A taxidermist?" asked Kyu.

"Someone who stuffs animal skins," replied Ryuu, Kazuma and Shizuko.

"Oh, so that's what it was called," said Kyu sheepishly.

"Anyway, do you know when he died? And what happened to his inventions?" asked Shizuko.

"Right, well, he died just last year. As for his inventions, no one knows where they went. Either he got rid of them for some reason, or they're hidden in the house somewhere."

"Hmm. One more question. Did he ever invent something of value?"

"Again, no one knows."

"Well, thanks for your help, Kazuma. You really cleared up a lot of things for me."

* * *

**rants:** yeah, this chapter was crappy too. there may be a possible KyuxMeg pairing here in the future chapters. **PLEASE REVIEW!**  
**chapter 3: A Nightmare in the Darkness  
**expect a lot of sappiness.or crappiness. whatever! 


	3. A Nightmare in the Darkness

**disclaimer:I do not own Detective School Q. **

**Chapter 3: A Nightmare in the Darkness**

In Room 7 of Nogisaka inn, Shizuko was getting dressed for bed. Ryuu was waiting outside, respectful as always. Kyu was waiting outside as well, since Meg kicked him out so that she could get dressed. (hehehe…)

Ryuu knocked on the door. "Are you done?"

"Wait! Just a second!" was the reply.

The door opened.

"Done," Shizuko said, stepping out. She was wearing pajamas. "I'll wait out here while you get changed."

Ryuu nodded, and entered the room.

So Kyu and Shizuko were left outside, in the hall.

Kyu grinned at Shizuko. "So you're rooming with Ryuu, huh?"

"What's wrong with that?" asked Shizuko curiously.

"Oh, nothing. Ehehe…" Kyu replied awkwardly.

Shizuko gave him a strange look.

"It's just that every girl who looks at Ryuu…well, he kinda makes them blush for some weird reason. You're different, though," said Kyu calculatingly.

Her eyes widened in surprise. "W-what? I mean, sure, Ryuu's pretty cute but…"

Her cheeks turned pink for a second.

Kyu pretended to be disappointed. "Oh, well, so much for the record."

Shizuko's mouth dropped open. "Why, you little—"

Ryuu's calm voice interrupted whatever Shizuko was about to say. "I'm done."

Kyu grinned innocently.

Placing her hand on the doorknob, Shizuko gave Kyu one last glare, then entered the room.

Ryuu was already sitting crosslegged on his bed. "Hi."

Shizuko gave him a half-smile as she made her way to her own bed. (take note, there will be NO sharing of beds in this fanfic. I don't know what kind of chaos will ensue if I did make them share beds. )

"What did you think of the case, Ryuu? You were kinda quiet earlier."

"Hmm? Well, I think it's a bit of a challenge, but other than that, it's a pretty simple case."

"Yes, but I wonder if a murder would be as easy."

"It all depends. Sealed-room murders are one of the more difficult kinds of murders, for example."

"I heard you're good at explaining sealed room murders, though."

"Hmm," Ryuu said thoughtfully.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kyu was still outside, knocking on the door of room 9. "Hey, Meg! Aren't you done yet? Shizuko's done already, and so is Ryuu! Aren't you going to let me in yet!"

"Just wait a minute, Kyu! Can't you be a little more patient?" Meg shouted through the door.

"Well, I want to dress up and go to sleep too, you know!"

Meg opened the door. She was in her nightgown already. "Well, if you weren't such a pervert sometimes maybe I'd let you in here more often!"

"WHAT! Are you talking about the underwear thing? All those times I didn't mean to peek!"

"Oh, sure! What about that time we were on the Miyaki's cursed flame case? At the hot spring? You and Kinta were peeking on us!"

"What, that? But I didn't even get a proper look!"

"But you tried, and that makes you just as guilty!"

Ryuu and Shizuko heard the commotion and took a look outside. "What's going on?' asked Ryuu.

"What, are you guys fighting again?" asked Shizuko sleepily.

Kazuma and Kinta came out as well. "Well, what's going on with the lovebirds, then?" asked Kinta.

"We're not lovebirds, okay!" said Meg.

"Ooh, you're getting mad, and that means you're in love," Kinta teased.

"CUT IT OUT WITH THE LOVE STUFF!" Meg yelled.

Shizuko and Ryuu looked at each other as chaos ensued in the hallway.

"Weeelll, let's just leave them to it, then," Shizuko told Ryuu. Ryuu nodded, looking a bit awkward at seeing the argument between Meg, Kyu and Kinta. They went back into their room, closing the door behind them.

"Are they always like that?" Shizuko asked Ryuu.

"Yes, I suppose," replied Ryuu.

_**SBAM!**_

Shizuko and Ryuu jumped.

"What was that?" said Ryuu.

"Meg must have brought out the heavy artillery," laughed Shizuko.

Ryuu gave a small smile. Shizuko checked her watch.

"Well, maybe we should sleep already. It's nine P.M. Let Kyu and Meg argue till the morning hours."

Ryuu nodded. "Good night."

"Good night."

* * *

_She was back in the house..._

"_Ha ha ha…" an evil laugh echoed._

_Shizuko turned around suddenly, her heart pounding._

"_Kyu? Ryuu?anybody?" she said tentatively, her voice resonating through the empty house. _

_A door creaked open somewhere to her right, revealing the darkness beyond. _

_Scared now, she stepped hesitantly towards the door. _

_Suddenly, a pale, bony hand grabbed at her throat. She gasped, choking as its fingers pressed harder on her windpipe. _

_She felt herself being lifted up. She was suffocating…_

_Suddenly the hand let go of her._

_She screamed as she fell into a deep, dark abyss. The last thing she saw was the old man's gaunt face…_

"No!" Shizuko gasped.

She was sitting up in her bed, panting as though she'd just run a marathon. Her hand went instinctively to her throat. Still breathing heavily, she turned on her bedside lamp. It gave off a hazy glow as she tried to untangle herself from the sheets.

_What a nightmare, _she thought. She glanced over at Ryuu's bed. She could hear steady breathing. Apparently, he had no freaky nightmares disturbing him tonight.

Not noticing that she was close to the edge of the bed, while she was untangling herself from the sheets, she fell off with a loud _thud._

"Ow…" she moaned.

Ryuu's eyes snapped open at the noise. "Uh?" He got up.

"Shizuko?" he asked worriedly. Her lamp was on.

"Over here," he heard her groan. She seemed to have fallen off the edge of the bed.

He walked over. "What happened?"

Shizuko sat up. "Nothing, really. Just a nightmare."

He extended his hand to help her up."A nightmare? What about?"

She took it and pulled herself up. Then, sitting down on her bed, she described her dream.

"I guess this case had a bigger effect on me than I thought," she finished.

"That's natural," said Ryuu.

"Yeah, I know. Anyway, I'm all right now. I think I'll just try to get back to sleep."

Ryuu nodded. He began walking back to his bed.

"Ryuu?"

He stopped."What?" he said quietly, not turning around.

"I'm sorry I woke you."

He turned around. "It's okay," he said softly. He walked the rest of the way to his bed and lay down again.

Shizuko lay down again too, and, strangely enough, she fell right back asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

As an added bonus, no more terrible dreams of freaky-looking inventors bothered her.

* * *

**rants:**this chapter was so crappy, i wanted to** kill** myself for even posting it here! anyway, this is all i've got for now, i hope you enjoyed it despite my terrible portyal of the characters! 


	4. The Phantom has Struck!

**yay! i got three reviews! from a favorite author, no less! i'm so happy! i expected everyone to hit me with hate mail for this story, actually. my first story turned out better than i ever hoped! thanks!**

**disclaimer:again, i don't own Detective School Q.

* * *

****Chapter 4: The Phantom has struck!**

The next morning, Class Q was on their way again to Mr Hashimoto's house. They would be there this time to take a look at the library, where the possible crime had been occurring.

Mr. Hashimoto had been waiting for them expectantly. "The ghost has struck again," he told them in a worried tone. "More books were scattered on the floor, this time. I fear that some are either destroyed, torn, or even stolen."

"Have you put them back in order?" asked Kyu.

"No, I haven't. I wanted you detectives to see the state it was in. I asked Yuriko not to touch them either."

Class Q entered the house with Mr. Hashimoto. He led them to a door on the right, where a shiny lock gleamed.

"Excuse me, but when was that lock installed?" asked Ryuu.

"When I began living here. Why?" Mr Hashimoto asked.

"It looks newer than the other fixtures," replied Ryuu.

"Well, I didn't bring much into this house. I kept it the way it was when I got it. I didn't change much."

Taking out a small key, he inserted it into the padlock and turned it. The door opened.

Inside, a mess of iIl-assorted books were scattered all over the floor. Those that remained on the shelves were either lopsided or returned quite untidily.

Class Q took in the messy sight. "Strange," said Kyu, carefully stepping around the the disorganized piles of books. "After going through a lot of trouble to go in and out without getting noticed, he decides to go and make a mess here."

"Which means that this may all be a distraction," said Ryuu. He looked down at the floor. "Uh?"

He bent down to pick something up.

He held up a hundred-yen bill. "Did you keep money in this library, Mr. Hashimoto?"

"Why, yes. But only small amounts. Not enough to get burglarized for."

Shizuko, however, was staring at the mantel over the fireplace with a meaningful look in her eye.

Kinta called from across the room. "Hey, look what I found!"

Everyone turned around. "What is it, Kinta?" asked Kazuma.

Kinta grinned. "Take a guess what's behind this painting."

"A safe," Shizuko answered immediately.

Kinta's face fell. "Yeah. How'd you know?"

"I would have thought that was obvious."

Kinta moved the painting aside to reveal a heavy-doored safe. "What's in here?"

"A few valuables. Old jewelry, some family heirlooms, my coin collection," replied Mr. Hashimoto.

"Why don't you put them in a bank? Surely they'd be much safer there," said Meg.

"I thought they were pretty safe here. And besides, I like to take out the coins once in a while and look at them."

"Who knows the combination to this safe?" asked Ryuu.

"Only I do, and there is no written record of it in the house."

"Will you please take out the items inside and check if there is anything missing?"

"Of course." Mr Hashimoto went over to the safe. The knob had a series of numbers on it, and it was set to zero.

"Do you mind turning around while I put in the combination?"

"Not at all," said Ryuu. He motioned to the others to turn around.

Everyone turned around while Mr. Hashimoto twirled the knob on the safe. A series of clicks were heard, then the sound of the safe opening.

"Okay, you can turn back around, now."

Class Q turned back around as Mr. Hashimoto began taking out his his collector's books, and several small chests of jewelry. He laid everything out on a nearby table. As he opened the books, Class Q watched carefully.

Kyu whispered to Meg, "Can you memorize all the coins on the pages, just in case? Mr. Hashimoto may not notice if there's anything missing, but maybe you can."

"Of, course, Kyu. No problem," Meg whispered back.

"Well, everything seems to be in order, I guess. I don't think it's been touched," said mr. Hashimoto.

"Did you ever try to sell these coins, sir?" Shizuko asked suddenly.

"Not really. I've only tried to sell one or two. Why?"

Shizuko looked alarmed. "May I see the book again, sir?"

Bewildered, he handed her the book.

Shizuko began turning the pages. "Here."

"What?" Kyu asked.

She showed them the book and pointed out a round indentation in one of the pages. "I think that this used to contain a coin. If Mr. Hashimoto had sold only one or two, then I would have only seen one or two of these. But I saw quite a number of them!"

"What! But that's not possible!" cried Mr. Hashimoto.

"I'm afraid it has happened, sir."

Mr Hashimoto sank into a nearby chair and buried his face in his hands.

"So he was after the safe," Kinta said.

"And the scattered books were just a diversion so that the safe wouldn't look like it had been touched," Kazuma said.

"I don't think so," Ryuu interjected.

"Huh?" said Kyu, Kinta , Kazuma and Meg.

Shizuko had been thinking as well. "The safe couldn't have been the only target."

"Think about it," continued Ryuu. "If he had been after the safe all along, the burglar wouldn't have bothered to take only a few things at a time. Rather, after he had cracked the combination, he would have taken everything at once, and avoid the complication of coming back and getting caught."

"Yeah, I was thinking about that, too," said Kyu.

"I think that we should report any missing items to the police first. Then we decide what else to do," said Ryuu.

"Right. I'll do it," Kinta volunteered, walking out of the library.

The rest of Class Q looked at each other. How was it possible that someone could enter the library without using the door? Mr Hashimoto had said that the whole place was locked and bolted every night. And here was someone who could come and go as he pleased. How was it possible?

A yell from the living room brought them all back to their senses.

"What the heck?" said Kyu.

They ran to the living room to find Kinta gripping a young man by the arm, struggling to get free.

"Kinta!" said Kyu.

"Let him go," said Mr Hashimoto. "That's Toya. He does some odd jobs for me. He should have been done around now."

"Yeah, I was about to leave," said the young man.

"Oh," said Kinta, releasing the guy. "But then, why was he eavesdropping, huh?"

"I-I wasn't!" protested Toya. "I just happened to hear you placing the call and wondered what you were doing!"

"What's going on?" a timid voice asked.

A girl wearing a maid's uniform entered the room.

"It's nothing, Yuriko. Just a misunderstanding, that's all," said Mr. Hashimoto.

The girl bowed respectfully and left the room.

_So, that's the maid, _thought Kyu.

Kyu's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. The police had arrived to get a statement from Mr Hashimoto. After he had told them everything that had happened, and explained the theft of the coins, the police were shocked to hear that the safe had been broken into. Hearing that DDS was on the case, though, they decided not to interfere. Bidding Mr. Hashimoto a good day, they left.

Toya had left as well, after Kinta had (grudgingly) apologized to him.

Mr. Hashimoto sighed heavily. "This has been a really hectic morning for me. "

"Sir, if you don't mind, is it okay if we search the whole house for anything we might have missed?" asked Kyu.

"Sure, it wouldn't be a problem. I have to go to town for awhile, anyway. If you need any help, I'll ask Yuriko to help you in anyway she can."

"Thank you very much, sir," said Kyu.

* * *

**rants:** so this is where the real work begins. by the way, i won't be making this story too long, 'cause, let's face it, Class Q solves mysteries pretty fast. i wouldn't want them to stay stuck in one precarious situation and let Class A take over!  
**chapter 5: The Secret Door  
**ugh...i think i just gave away how the burglar got in...gulps 


	5. The Secret Door

**i was way too excited to publish this story, that's for sure. i'm still figuring out how to nail the culprit, and of course, the motive. hehehe...**

**disclaimer:i don't own Detective School Q. If i did then i would have gotten Ryuu to be the better detective and destroy Pluto. oh well...

* * *

**

**Chapter 5: The Secret Door**

"The burglar sure made a mess," Kinta grumbled. A lot of books were still scattered on the library floor.

"Well, let's put them back anyway and spare Mr. Hashimoto the trouble. Who knows, maybe we'll find some sort of clue," said Meg.

The hundred-yen bill that Ryuu had found wasn't the only one. More bills fluttered out of several books as they shook them them out and picked them up. Collecting all the money, they found out that it added up to only several thousand yen.

"There wasn't much money here, that's for sure," muttered Kazuma.

Shizuko was finished with one of her bookshelves and was staring at the fireplace again. _There's something about this fireplace that isn't right…_

Kyu saw her staring at the mantelpiece. "You think the burglar came from the chimney?" he asked, trying to guess her thoughts.

Shizuko shook her head. "No, the ashes and wood are undisturbed. Besides,if he had come down the chimney, then he would have left tracks all over the room."

"So why are you staring at it?"

She turned to Kyu."There's something about this mantelpiece that isn't right."

"What's wrong with it?" asked Kinta suddenly. He patted the mantel. "Looks okay to me."

Shizuko sighed,exasperated. "Ryuu?"

"Hmm?" he said indistinctly.

"I've got a feeling that something's up with this fireplace. Any ideas?"

"Well, the only thing I can come up with is that there's another way into this library aside from the doors and windows," Ryuu answered.

"I do have an idea, though," said Shizuko.

"Which is?" prompted Kazuma.

"Well, this seems a bit off hand, but I read somewhere that if there are several fireplaces in one house, they're built around a central chimney stack. There are two fireplaces in this house, and one chimney. In this way, the two fireplaces are connected."

"So what? You said the burglar didn't come from the chimney," said Kinta, confused.

"I'm saying that there might be another connection besides that."

She cleared the mantelpiece of all the ornaments and placed them carefully on the nearby table.

"What are you doing?" asked Meg.

"You'll see," was the reply.

Placing her hands firmly on the mantel, she hoisted herself up. She was now standing on the ledge. "I noticed this earlier. The mantelpiece is wide enough for a person to stand on."

"Be careful, though," said Kyu.

"Oh, I'll be fine. I'm just glad I didn't wear a skirt."

Kyu grinned sheepishly.

Shizuko began tapping the panels above the mantel. She smiled. "I was right."

She reached into her pocket and brought out a penknife.

"What's she doing?" asked Kinta.

A sudden burst of understanding came to Ryuu. "Of course. Why didn't I think of that?"

"What is it,Ryuu?" asked Kyu.

But Shizuko was already answering the question. She inserted the penknife between two panels and applied a bit of pressure.

Suddenly a hidden door slid open!

Class Q gasped. "A secret door!" cried Kazuma.

Unfortunately, the sudden movement startled Shizuko. When the door slid open, she slipped from her precarious position on the mantel shelf and fell to the floor with a dull _thud_.

"Ow," she groaned. "Not again."

* * *

**rants:** this one's a little shorter than the others, heheheh. i'll update again soon!  
**PLEASE REVIEW!**  
**chapter 6: WHODUNIT! **(tentative title, i couldn't decide yet.)  
i may reveal the culprit soon. hopefully this doesn't become too dragging. 


	6. Memories of an Inventor's Legacy

**i had a lot of trouble with this chapter, trying hard not to focus on too many unneccessary things. anyway, it's here now, and i won't be able to change that. thanks to the people who bothered to read my fanfic and left a review!  
disclaimer: I do not own Detective School Q.  
Oh, i changed the title of the chapter, if you noticed.

* * *

****Chapter 6: Memories of an Inventor's Legacy**

"You found it, Shizuko!" cried Meg in delight.

"Yeah, along with another bruise on my back," Shizuko muttered sorely.

Ryuu helped her up. "That was good work, though."

"Thanks."

Kyu beamed. "Now who wants to go through this passageway and find out where it leads to?"

Kinta volunteered, "I'll do it!"  
"I have a feeling to goes to the mantel in the sitting room," said Shizuko.

"I'll just go along this passageway and find out. I won't open the other door in the living room," said Kinta as he disappeared into the opening.

Moments later Kinta returned with a grin on his face."Guess what? I found some of the coins that Mr. Hashimoto was missing."

"They're in that secret hall?"

"You bet. It was hidden under a floorboard that I tripped over. I guess that's what you call 'stumbling over a clue'," he grinned.

"Well, put them back,"said Kyu.

"What? Why?" Kinta asked.

"We can't let them know yet that we found the passageway, and besides, even though we found the means of entry, we still don't know who the burglar is," said Kyu.

"Oh, yeah, good point," said Kinta, who ducked back into the passageway.

* * *

Later, after the amazing discovery of the hidden door, Class Q proceeded to search the rest of the house for anything that could tell them more about the house in general. The hidden door left no doubt in their minds that the case was connected to the former owner, and that investigating the house would most likely turn up a clue of some sort.

"Let's try looking upstairs, you guys. Maybe we'll find something there. I don't think much would have been bothered there. And maybe more of Mr. Fukujima's things would still be there," said Kazuma.

(Just to refresh your memory, Mr. Fukujima was the owner of the house before Mr. Hashimoto bought it. Refer to chapter two if you have forgotten.)

The stairs creaked noisily as Class Q trooped upstairs, making them feel a bit uneasy. It was pretty dark on the second floor as they reached the landing. Kyu groped for a light switch. Finding one, he flipped it, and light flooded the hallway.

There were only three doors in the corridor. One on the left side, one on the right, and one at the end of the hallway. They all looked at each other, uncertain which they should try first.

"Why don't we just split into teams?" said Kyu. "Meg and I will check that door on the right. Ryuu, you and Shizuko can check out that door at the end of the hall. Kinta, you and Kazuma look in that room to the left."

They all agreed, and went their separate ways.

* * *

Kyu placed his hand on the dusty doorknob and looked at Meg. "You scared?"

"No, I'm okay. It's not really that spooky." said Meg.

"Okay then," said Kyu good-naturedly.

He turned the doorknob and opened the door in one quick movement.

Meg screamed."AAAAAAAHHHH!"

A huge brown bear towered over their heads, with its massive paws ready to strike, and long fangs bared, ready to rip and tear. Kyu gulped and carefully extended his finger to touch the bear. He poked the bear's belly hestitantly.

He sighed in relief. "It's a dummy! This must be the room where the former owner kept his taxidermy collection."

Meg let out a sigh. "For a moment I thought it was real!"

"Yeah, me too. Hehehe," Kyu laughed nervously.

They entered the room. All sorts of animals, some exotic, some quite familiar, filled the room, positioned in such a way that you would be reminded of their living counterparts. A leopard crouched in a corner, waiting for an unsusupecting victim. A bat hung in midair, suspended from the ceiling, along with several birds that looked as though they had been frozen in flight.

"Wow. For a scary guy, he sure was a talented taxidermist," remarked Meg, who had gotten over her fright.

"Yeah, I know," said Kyu. "Everything looks so lifelike, as though they could just jump out right at you."

"Kyu, don't say things like that! It's spooky to think that these things could come alive," said Meg.

"Aww, don't tell me that you're scared again. Come on, this place is so cool! Look at that, there's even a stuffed snake!" said Kyu excitedly, pickjng it up from a nearby table.

"Don't remind me of snakes, Kyu! Don't you remember, I got bitten by one because you were too excited to tell a teacher about that hidden room!"  
"I'm sorry, already, Meg! Besides, this one is harmless, it's already dead!"  
"I don't care if it's alive or dead, Kyu! Just keep it away from me!"  
"Aww…all right," said Kyu dejectedly, placing the snake back where he had found it.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kinta and Kazuma had just entered the room on the left side of the hallway.

"Whoa," said Kinta as he opened the door.

The walls of the room were full of preserved insects. Butterflies of just about every species could be seen. Even ordinary insects such as grasshoppers, stick insects and beetles were mounted in glass cases. Each bug was labeled with its common name, scientific name, and even showed the taxonomical classifications: Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family and Genus.

"This is simply fascinating!" said Kazuma eagerly.

"Look, a Monarch butterfly!" he cried, rushing over to the display case. "And an Indian Moon Moth!"

"How can you tell a butterfly apart from a moth, anyway?" asked Kinta innocently.

"Easy. Butterflies have knobbed antennae, moths have feathery antennae. And when they land on something, butterflies fold their wings. Moths land with their wings unfolded."  
"Oh, so that's a moth eating your lucky hat right now."

"WHAT!" cried Kazuma, taking off his hat and waving it around to shake out the" moth".

"Hahahaha! Gotcha!" laughed Kinta.

"That wasn't funny, Kinta! You know I like my lucky hat!"

* * *

Ryuu carefully opened the door at the end of the hall. Turning to Shizuko, he said, "You go first."

Shizuko nodded. Entering the room, she gasped. "It's a music room," she said.

Ryuu followed her inside."So it is."

A piano stood against one side of the room, while an ill-assorted collection of string instruments lined the other side. A slightly dusty violin was lying on a table, while several music sheets littered the floor.

Shizuko carefully picked up the violin. After considering it for a moment, she tucked it under her chin and began to play a slow, mournful tune.

Ryuu stared at her. "You never told us you could play the violin."

"No one ever asked," she replied, drawing the bow across the strings as she spoke. The notes slowly raised in pitch, making the hairs on Ryuu's neck prickle. The song sounded beautiful, and yet incredibly sad.

With a sigh, Shizuko suddenly stopped playing. "That violin hasn't been used for awhile," she said, putting it down.

"But that piano has been used," said Ryuu, pointing it out.

"How can you tell?"

"Everything else is covered with a layer of dust, except for that piano. Someone's been using it."

"Let me see if it's still in tune."  
"You can play the piano as well?" Ryuu asked, mildly surprised.

"Yes."

Shizuko began pressing and depressing the keys. "That's odd. There's no sound. It won't play."

"Maybe the strings inside have been damaged."

Shizuko shook her head. "There's nothing wrong with the piano itself. I think there's a mechanism inside that prevents the strings from being struck."

She knelt down and inspected the underside of the instrument. She was surprised to find several wires running along one of the legs of the piano. Following the wires with her finger, she found that they led right into the wall.

She sighed. "Another secret panel," she muttered. "That figures."

Ryuu knelt down beside her. "Do you need help?"  
"Hmm. Could you bring out the flashlight from the DDS notebook and shine it right here? It's a little dark at this point."

Ryuu complied, bringing out out the flashlight. "What do you plan to do?"

"I am going to try and get this panel open. Maybe there's a hidden spring, or something—huh?" She squinted at something.

"What is it?" asked Ryuu.

"There's a tiny drilled hole here. It's like a slot where you can insert something." She fished out a hairpin from her pocket and inserted one end of it into the hole.

_Click._

Ryuu raised an eyebrow. "Did you hear that?"

Shizuko nodded. "Let's see if it plays, "she said, standing up.

She seated herself on the piano bench and placed her fingers on the ivory keys.

* * *

Soft music reached Kyu's ears. "Huh?"

Meg heard it too. "That sounds like a piano. But where's it coming from?"

They stepped out into the hallway, where they bumped into Kinta and Kazuma.

"You heard the music too?" asked Kinta.

"Yeah," said Kyu.

"There's only one other place it can come from," said Kazuma, turning to the room at the end of the hall.

"That's where Ryuu and Shizuko went," said Meg.

"You don't think—?" Kyu left the sentence unfinished as they made their way into the room.

Shizuko was seated on the piano bench, playing a melody that sounded mysterious and bizarre.

Ryuu was standing behind her, listening with an emotionless expression on his face.

Meg was entranced by the music. "It sounds beautiful."

"Yeah," Kyu agreed.

Shizuko's fingers moved with grace and accuracy along the sequence of ivory keys, oblivious to the number of people that had gathered.

As she ended the piece, she was surprised to hear applause behind her.

Turning around, she saw Class Q clapping. She bowed shyly, unused to the attention.

"You never told us you could play the piano," said Kyu.

"I didn't think it was important," said Shizuko."Besides, we have a case to solve right now. Maybe I'll explain everything sometime. Anyway, here's the deal. That piano was another invention of Mr. Fukujima. He installed a mechanism in that piano that prevents the strings inside from being struck. It took a little effort, but I figured it out how to work around that mechanism and make the piano work."

* * *

They proceeded downstairs, where Yuriko, the maid, was waiting for them. "I see that you too, have discovered the music room upstairs," she told them.

"Who else has discovered it?" asked Kyu.

"Oh, of course, we knew about it. Mr. Hashimoto did, too, but the piano would never play. Only Toya knew how to make it play, and he would never tell us how he did it. So we let him play there once in a while, if he wishes to."

A sudden burst of realization came to Ryuu. "Toya knew how to make the piano work?"

"Why yes. And apparently, you have discovered it as well. You must be really skilled detectives to have been able to do so. And then again, Toya was a very clever young man. He always seemed to know a lot about this place, even though he claimed it was his first time here."

Kyu suddenly looked at Ryuu with a meaningful expression on his face. Ryuu nodded.

Yuriko bowed to them respectfully. "I'll be leaving you now. I'll be in the kitchen if you need me."

"Did you hear that?" said Kyu to Ryuu.

"Yes. And now we know who the burglar is," said Ryuu.

* * *

**rants: **the story is almost over! yes, of course, they know who the burglar is. it's always Ryuu and Kyu who figure it out first.  
**PLEASE REVIEW!**  
**chapter 7: A Burglar Unmasked!A Treasure Found.**  
I'll let the title speak for itself. expect it to be even crappier then the last few chapters. this was really hard to end... 


	7. A Burglar Unmasked! A Treasure Found

**okay! this is the LAST chapter! this was really hard to write, cause...well, ending something just seems so hard, doesn't it? and i feel sad for ending this story. awww...well, this is it. enjoy!  
disclaimer: yeah, i don't own Detective School Q. i wouldn't bother to make fanfics if i did own DSQ.

* * *

****Chapter 7: A Burglar Unmasked! A Treasure Found.**

The night had come.

"It's time," the burglar said to himself as he checked his watch.

Hashimoto manor towered above him as he walked towards it.

Taking out a key, he opened the front door and opened it noiselessly.

He looked left and right to see if anyone was around. No one was in sight.

_Good,_ he thought to himself.

He had had to hide in the passageway once while the maid was on one of her trips to the kitchen, and another time while Mr. Hashimoto was on his way to the bathroom.

Not that they had noticed, of course. Why, they even considered him a _phantom_, for crying out loud.

_Those fools,_ he thought smugly to himself. _They'll never catch me._

Using a thin penknife, he slipped it into the crack between two panels above the living room fireplace. The hidden door there slid open quietly. Climbing in, he shut the door without a sound. He crept down the passageway.

Before he knew it, he was in the library again. Darkness surrounded him. That didn't matter. First he had to make his usual stop for cash. He reached for one of the books on the shelf.

All of a sudden, two people tackled him from behind!

The lights went on. "Hold it right there,_ phantom_!" a voice said sarcastically.

"What the heck?" the burglar managed to sputter.

A blue-haired boy and a girl wearing glasses were holding him by both arms. A kid in a black jacket was standing by the light switch, grinning next to a pink-haired girl in pigtails.

The intruder struggled for a second, then broke free of the two teenagers holding him. They fell to floor next to each other. He made a break for the hidden door, but all of a sudden a big guy leaped out of the passageway and blocked his path. "You're not going anywhere this time, you phantom!"

Knowing he was trapped, he fell to his knees in a sign of defeat.

* * *

Kyu yelled, "Kazuma! You can bring Mr. Hashimoto and Yuriko here now!" 

Ryuu was helping Shizuko to her feet. "This is starting to become a habit," said Ryuu.

"Sorry," said Shizuko.

Within a few seconds Mr. Hashimoto and the maid were in the library.

"What has happened? Is that the thief? Wha—?" He stopped short as he saw the open passageway over the fireplace.

Kazuma appeared behind Mr. Hashimoto, grinning and unfolding his laptop.

Kyu began, "Mr. Hashimoto, we've caught the burglar for you. He's masked right now, but we know who he is."

"Well, then, who is it? I want to know!"

Kyu waved three fingers in the air. "There are THREE clues! The first was the information about the former owner that Kazuma found. The second was when we discovered the hidden passageway. And the third was the piano in the music room upstairs."

He retracted two of his raised fingers, leaving only one. "And there can only be…ONE ANSWER!"

Kyu began explaining. "Clue number one was about the former owner, the one who owned this house before you did, Mr. Hashimoto. Kazuma, tell them."

"We began our investigation early on, when we searched for information regarding the person who owned this house before Mr. Hashimoto," said Kazuma, typing furiously on his computer, and then turning it to face them.

"This is Mr. Fukujima, who died a year ago. He was an inventor, a very unusual one, for that matter. He apparently specialized in making booby traps and he installed most of them in his home—in this very house. We were convinced at the beginning that this case was connected to him, and knowledge about his inventions would be one of the things that the burglar would definitely know, using it to his advantage as well."

"Then, there's clue number two: the secret passageway. Thanks to our new classmate, Shizuko, we were able to find that passageway. This was the trick that the burglar used to get into the room without having to use the door, or even the windows," continued Kyu.

"Well, after finding that secret door, the suspects were narrowed down to anyone who had access to the front door," said Kinta.

"But that discovery wasn't enough. The method was clear, but it didn't lead to the burglar's identity," said Kyu.

"Those secret doors were a creation of Mr. Fukujima, which further supported the theory that someone connected to the former owner was behind all these comings and goings," said Ryuu.

"That brings us to hint number three, the piano in the music room," continued Kyu.

"Finding the piano in the music room upstairs was an important clue. There was a mechanism in it that prevented the piano from being played. I was able to find my way around that and play the instrument. This was another one of Mr. Fukujima's inventions," said Shizuko.

"Hearing Shizuko play the piano, Yuriko told us something important. She told us that Toya was the only other person besides Shizuko who was able to discover the secret behind the piano. And she also said that Toya seemed to know a lot of things about the house, even though he said that he had only been here for the first time," added Meg.

"Now, how would Toya know so much about his house? That made me suspicious. The only possible conclusion was that Toya had been here before, maybe even lived here before. This means that he had an ulterior motive in coming to work for Mr. Hashimoto in the first place. Since he would have access to the front door, he could slip in quietly at night, then use the passageway using the door above the living room fireplace. He would come out of the secret door over the library fireplace, and then he could do all his burglarizing and not leave a clue to how he got in or out," continued Kyu.

He turned to the burglar. "You can remove the mask, **_TOYA_**!"

Kinta roughly jerked away the mask, revealing Toya's disorientated and dejected face.

"But one question still remains unanswered," said Kyu.

"Tell us, Toya, why did you do it? Why would you abuse your employer's trust this way?"

Mr. Hashimoto looked upset. "Please explain, Toya."

Toya sighed heavily. "I'm sorry I broke into your house, sir. But, I couldn't think of asking you for anything this personal."

"As a boy, I knew the person who owned this house before—Mr. Fukujima. His only son, Yamato, was my best friend. We spent all our days in this house, pretending we were explorers, or even treasure seekers."

"Mr. Fukujima was always happy to have us over. I admit, it first he scared me out of my wits, but he told such wonderful stories of adventure, and even told us a funny story about how he got that scar on his cheek. I came to love him like my own father. He told us:

'So, you want to be treasure seekers, don't you? Well, there's a little something in this house that I want you boys to share. Find it, and it's yours. It's not much, but it's a small token I want to give you for giving me so much happiness in my life.'"

"Well, we searched high and low for our 'treasure'. We never found it, and when we begged him to tell us where it was hidden, he would laugh and tell us, 'Just look in the right spots and you'll find it!' "

"Well, as you know he died last year, carrying his secret to the grave. Yamato and I had stopped looking for the 'treasure' long ago. But then, Yamato got into a terrible car accident. I ran to his side at the hospital, and, before he died, he said, 'Toya, I want you to find the treasure that dad promised us. Do whatever it takes. I want you to have it. It's yours, whatever it is.'"

"Without Yamato, the house was sold to Mr. Hashimoto. I took the chance and told Mr. Hashimoto that I was looking for work and offered to do odd jobs for him. He agreed, thankfully, and gave me the key to the front door so that I could come and go as I pleased. I didn't really know what I was looking for, so I thought of the books that were in the library, wondering whether they held some sort of clue. I began doing research in the library—as the phantom, of course—and accidentally left some books messed up."

"Mr. Hashimoto thought a ghost had done it, and I was relieved that I wasn't accused. But I had to keep up the charade."

"I discovered the safe soon after. I thought that maybe this was where the treasure had been hidden. After I had cracked the combination, though, I was disappointed that what I found wasn't at all what Mr. Fukujima had left for me.I took several coins out of the books, to see what I could get for them. But I felt guilty. I never sold the coins, but I never put them back, either.I hid the coins in the passageway."

He bowed in shame before Mr. Hashimoto. "I'm sorry I abused your trust over so small a thing. Can you forgive me, sir?"

Mr. Hashimoto sighed. "Toya, I can't believe that you would stoop this low in order to find this treasure, whatever it is. But you could have asked me. I wouldn't have minded."

"But since you're sorry, and you explained everything to me, I won't press charges against you for breaking into my home."

Kyu suddenly became cheerful. "Everything is settled, then. Toya, we'll help you look for this treasure, then, if it makes you happy."

Toya brightened. "Really, you'd help me?"

"Oh, sure. Heck, we'd be happy to. Right guys?"

"Right!" chorused Class Q.

* * *

"This is pointless," grumbled Kinta a couple of hours later. They were in the upstairs hallway. "They couldn't find it then, and we can't find it now." 

"I think that what Mr. Fukujima said is a clue to where it is," said Kyu. "'Look in the right spots.' I wonder what it could mean."

"Spots," muttered Ryuu. He looked into the taxidermist room as Kyu entered it.

Kyu's gaze fell upon the crouching leopard in the corner. _Spots…_

He looked away for a second as Ryuu entered the room.

_Wait a minute._

He looked at the leopard again. _It can't be that easy!_

He turned around again and met Ryuu's gaze. They looked back at the leopard.

All of a sudden, he knew.

And so did Ryuu.

"Guys?" Kyu called. "I think you might want to take a look at this!"

The rest of Class Q, Mr Hashimoto, Yuriko and Toya came into the room. "What is it?" asked Shizuko.

"I think I know where your treasure is, Toya," said Kyu. He pointed to the leopard.

"What? It's inside the leopard?" said Toya in disbelief.

"Look in the right spots, Toya," he said with a grin.

A sudden burst of understanding came to Toya. "Of course. It makes sense. When we were children we were afraid to go into this room because of the stuffed animals!"

Ryuu reached into the leopard's open mouth. He groped about for a second. He winced as the leopard's teeth pricked his shoulder. But then the expression on his face changed. He gave a small smile and pulled out something from the mouth of the stuffed feline.

A small, clumsily wrapped package rested in Ryuu's hand. He presented it to Toya. "I think this is for you."

Tears were welling up in Toya's eyes as he accepted the package from Ryuu. He unwrapped it carefully.

Inside was a pair of gold pocket watches, delicately engraved. Opening one of them, Toya found a photograph of him, Yamato, and Mr. Fukujima, smiling happily.

A note was nestled inside the package, underneath the watches. Toya read it aloud.

"Well done, boys. So you've found the treasure at last. I want you both to cherish these watches that I have made especially for both of you; as much as I have treasured the happiness, and company that you have given me over the years. The time that you spent with me is incredibly priceless. May your friendship be strong enough to last forever."

Overcome with emotion, tears fell down Toya's cheeks. Meg's eyes were brimming with tears, too, and the rest of Class Q was moved by the message of Mr. Fukujima. Even Ryuu was showing a little more emotion than usual.

Mr. Hashimoto put his hands on Toya's shoulders "Well, I believe this calls for a celebration."

He turned to class Q. "Why don't you all have dinner here? Think of it as my way of saying thank you for all the detective work you've done."

Kinta whooped for joy. "Yeah! Boy, investigating sure gives me an appetite!"

"Thanks very much," said Kyu happily.

"Of course!" said Meg.

Ryuu just smiled.

"All right then," said Mr. Hashimoto contentedly. "Yuriko, will you please make the preparations in the kitchen?"

"Of course, sir," said Yuriko, bowing and leaving the room.

Everyone trooped downstairs, chattering away.

* * *

Later that night, at the dinner table, Mr. Hashimoto proposed a toast. "To Class Q of DDS! Thank you for helping me." 

"You're welcome, sir," said Kyu, grinning sheepishly.

"It was no problem," said Kinta offhandedly.

"It was a very interesting case," said Kazuma.

"Yeah," said Meg.

"Well, it saved us from boredom, to quote Sherlock Holmes," said Shizuko, grinning.

Everyone laughed. "That is true! Without these cases to keep us busy, what use would Class Q be?" said Kazuma.

* * *

Later that night at Nogisaka inn, Class Q began packing their things, preparing to leave in the morning. Kyu was waiting outside again, because Meg had tossed him out so she could pack her underwear without any witty comments from Kyu. Other than that, everything else went smoothly, and without any trouble. 

When they arrived back at DDS, Mr. Hongou was waiting for them. Apparently, he hadn't missed them while they were gone, and resumed his lessons in his usual cantankerous, irritable manner, yelling at them once in a while and barking orders.

As soon as class was over, and Mr. Hongou had finally walked out the door, Class Q collapsed in their seats, with the exception of Ryuu, who was cool and collected as always.

"That lesson was so tough!" complained Kyu.

"Doesn't he ever get a sore throat from all that yelling?" muttered Shizuko.

"Apparently not," moaned Kazuma.

"I wish I didn't have a photographic memory, all that information was too much," groaned Meg.

"You're telling me! Half the time he was complaining about me," griped Kinta.

"Don't disturb, me, you guys, okay? I wanna relax," said Shizuko, leaning back in her chair and placing a book over her face.

"How'd you get that book, Shizuko? That was one of the books in Mr. Hashimoto's library, I remember it," said Meg.

"I asked it from Mr. Hashimoto. I noticed it first when we were cleaning up. It's a book full of mystery novels," replied Shizuko, her voice slightly muffled by the book on her face. "Needless to say, he let me have it."

Kyu snatched the book off her face.

"Hey! I thought I just told you not to bother me," said Shizuko grouchily.

"Masterpieces of Mystery. Selected by Ellery Queen," read Kyu.

"I want to read that, Kyu," said Shizuko.

"You don't seem to be reading it at the moment," said Kazuma.

"Well, I _was_ going to read it when deduction-genius over here snatched it off my face," muttered Shizuko incoherently.

"Well, it looks like you are all getting along," said an amused voice from the doorway.

Kyu dropped the book. "Principal Dan!"  
They all stood up as Ms. Katagiri wheeled him into the room.

"Hello everyone," said Ms. Katagiri.

"Class Q, I just came by to congratulate you on another job well done. You've made DDS proud again, and you've proven once again how much you deserve to be in this class."

"Well, Principal Dan, Shizuko was a good help on the case, too. We think that she deserves to be in this class, with us," said Kyu.

"Then it's settled. Shizuko seems to have been well-placed. You'll remain in this class, Shizuko. Unless, of course, you would like to switch to another?" asked Principal Dan.

"No, sir. I'm perfectly happy here. I'd like to remain in Class Q," replied Shizuko.

"All right then. Class Q, are you ready to take whatever case comes to you, even with a new member at your side?" said Principal Dan.

"Yes, sir!" chorused Class Q.

"There's only…ONE ANSWER!" cried Kyu.

**end of episode

* * *

**

**rants: **finally the insanity is over! does anyone know the japanese word for "the end"? i'll use that instead whenever i finish an anime fanfic.  
**PLEASE REVIEW!  
and please tell me whether you want Shizuko to be back in my next DDS fanfic! i am thinking of making a murder mystery. what do you all think?hehehe. i would like to thank all the people who reviewed me, and all the DSQ fanlistings and fansites that i've been visiting. thank you all! **


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